To the man in the bushes next to the sidewalk and his slightly
embarrassed looking female friend waiting for him:
indeed, I did sing
"pinkeln, pinkeln, pinkelllln" as I biked by.
Showing posts with label People Behaving Strangely in Public. Show all posts
Showing posts with label People Behaving Strangely in Public. Show all posts
Friday, May 13, 2016
Sunday, December 7, 2014
My week: December 7 ed.
-I decided that our conversations in the German class needed some spicing up so I started introducing weird sentences and talking about cats. When I was working on my degree at the American university, I talked about cats for three classes in a row so it became my tongue in cheek "thing."
I decided to continue the tradition at the German university. I suggested that the imaginary holiday party we discussed should take place at the Tierheim and that cat food (Kibbles and Bits), chicken, hot cocoa, and Hawaiian Punch should be on the menu. I had to explain Kibbles and Bits and Hawaiian Punch as they're super American. At the party, humans and animals could choose either type of food. To elaborate, I told the story of my high school job in a retirement home where one of the more senile residents showed up at the door, eating cat food.
The main point of this rambling is that I'm now to the point where I can make stupid jokes in German and tell weird stories that are not entirely grammatical but people can understand (as well as they could be understood as they're strange and don't even make much sense in English).
-We may or may not have gone out to dinner at the Thai restaurant that has, as my German friend puts it, "high octane drinks." We then may or may not have drank several of what I call "flaming volcano troughs." I can say with certainty that we parted with side-hugs (we had been talking about the Duggars) and eating snow that fell from the sky (my idea). On the way home we found a chair in a pile of furniture that someone was throwing out. We may or may not have considered taking the chair since I need extras for a party, later becoming disinterested because the chair was not in a usable condition. I can say with certainty that we ran into a drunk bunch of young guys who were thrilled with their friend's discovery of a purse in a trash heap. He was carrying it around, quite proud of himself, reminding me of the purple Teletubby. It was a fantastic night out.
-I had two more German classes. In one, we were using the subjunctive to express wistful thoughts and things that were not actually true. We were supposed to write things like, "the workplace would be a better place if..." I was feeling saucy again so I wrote "if coworkers would not be 'jerks.'" I wrote all of it in German but the "jerks" part in English with quotes. I see things written like this (or sometimes without the quotes) in German signs. This German teacher is a bit strict and doesn't want English used in class so she told me in a conspiratorial voice that she would tell me the German word for jerks and wrote it on my paper. I tried explaining to her that the German word is MUCH stronger than what we'd use in English as one wouldn't say it in a polite conversation but one could use "jerks" instead.
To add to the ridiculousness, in my other German class, we had to jot down some sentences. I thought that it was just for our own use so I grabbed a piece of used paper from my notebook. Then we were told that we had to hand them in and of course I had used the "jerks" paper. Sigh.
-With my busy schedule and not getting enough alone time (which is very important for even introverts who are still social, such as myself), I've been feeling very tired and somewhat frazzled. Of course it would then make *total* sense that I decided to throw a holiday party next week, because why not add to the stress? I'm thrilled, though, that my friend has taken care of the planning, including decorations and the menu. I am incredibly NOT crafty or creative and she has already decorated my house in a totally cute way. Yippie!
-I went to Heidelberg with my friend who's visiting me right now but actually lives there. A friend, with whom I spent New Year's day hiking, met up with us. As we were waiting for him, we ran into yet another friend who was doing a field trip for work in Heidelberg. I love it when things like that happen! We walked around Heidelberg, stopping at the various Christmas markets and doing some shopping. Everything was soooo busy and crowded, including the train, where everyone had to squeeze in and at some stops, there were announcements to squeeze in even more so that the doors would close. I think it was a combination of football game day and shopping.
I decided to continue the tradition at the German university. I suggested that the imaginary holiday party we discussed should take place at the Tierheim and that cat food (Kibbles and Bits), chicken, hot cocoa, and Hawaiian Punch should be on the menu. I had to explain Kibbles and Bits and Hawaiian Punch as they're super American. At the party, humans and animals could choose either type of food. To elaborate, I told the story of my high school job in a retirement home where one of the more senile residents showed up at the door, eating cat food.
The main point of this rambling is that I'm now to the point where I can make stupid jokes in German and tell weird stories that are not entirely grammatical but people can understand (as well as they could be understood as they're strange and don't even make much sense in English).
-We may or may not have gone out to dinner at the Thai restaurant that has, as my German friend puts it, "high octane drinks." We then may or may not have drank several of what I call "flaming volcano troughs." I can say with certainty that we parted with side-hugs (we had been talking about the Duggars) and eating snow that fell from the sky (my idea). On the way home we found a chair in a pile of furniture that someone was throwing out. We may or may not have considered taking the chair since I need extras for a party, later becoming disinterested because the chair was not in a usable condition. I can say with certainty that we ran into a drunk bunch of young guys who were thrilled with their friend's discovery of a purse in a trash heap. He was carrying it around, quite proud of himself, reminding me of the purple Teletubby. It was a fantastic night out.
-I had two more German classes. In one, we were using the subjunctive to express wistful thoughts and things that were not actually true. We were supposed to write things like, "the workplace would be a better place if..." I was feeling saucy again so I wrote "if coworkers would not be 'jerks.'" I wrote all of it in German but the "jerks" part in English with quotes. I see things written like this (or sometimes without the quotes) in German signs. This German teacher is a bit strict and doesn't want English used in class so she told me in a conspiratorial voice that she would tell me the German word for jerks and wrote it on my paper. I tried explaining to her that the German word is MUCH stronger than what we'd use in English as one wouldn't say it in a polite conversation but one could use "jerks" instead.
To add to the ridiculousness, in my other German class, we had to jot down some sentences. I thought that it was just for our own use so I grabbed a piece of used paper from my notebook. Then we were told that we had to hand them in and of course I had used the "jerks" paper. Sigh.
-With my busy schedule and not getting enough alone time (which is very important for even introverts who are still social, such as myself), I've been feeling very tired and somewhat frazzled. Of course it would then make *total* sense that I decided to throw a holiday party next week, because why not add to the stress? I'm thrilled, though, that my friend has taken care of the planning, including decorations and the menu. I am incredibly NOT crafty or creative and she has already decorated my house in a totally cute way. Yippie!
-I went to Heidelberg with my friend who's visiting me right now but actually lives there. A friend, with whom I spent New Year's day hiking, met up with us. As we were waiting for him, we ran into yet another friend who was doing a field trip for work in Heidelberg. I love it when things like that happen! We walked around Heidelberg, stopping at the various Christmas markets and doing some shopping. Everything was soooo busy and crowded, including the train, where everyone had to squeeze in and at some stops, there were announcements to squeeze in even more so that the doors would close. I think it was a combination of football game day and shopping.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
At First I Saw These Guys and Was Confused, Then I Saw Their Leader...
First off: this week's blog entries (or lack thereof!) are brought to you by the Letter E.
E is for exams. I am finishing degree #3 THIS WEEK. Yee-haw. I will soon have my life back and will be able to read for fun and volunteer again after a year of devoting a large amount of my free time to studying.
--
Anyway, on to the blog entry that the title references (which is modeled on those ridiculous titles of viral cat videos like, "I Thought This Video Was Going to Be Dumb But I Clicked on It Anyway Because I Was Conned by a Stupid Title Like This Yet Again" -- what IS it with those titles? I get suckered into them every time even though I think they're ridiculous).
When we were in Amsterdam, we ran into tons and tons of stag and hen parties. I saw a bunch of guys sitting around Dam Square wearing gnome hats and drinking beer. I love gnomes so I thought it was interesting, but I wasn't sure exactly what the hats had to do with anything.
About 10 minutes later, their friend dragged the groom back to the group and all was illuminated. We had a good laugh at the concept (but not at the rough shape the groom was in).
E is for exams. I am finishing degree #3 THIS WEEK. Yee-haw. I will soon have my life back and will be able to read for fun and volunteer again after a year of devoting a large amount of my free time to studying.
--
Anyway, on to the blog entry that the title references (which is modeled on those ridiculous titles of viral cat videos like, "I Thought This Video Was Going to Be Dumb But I Clicked on It Anyway Because I Was Conned by a Stupid Title Like This Yet Again" -- what IS it with those titles? I get suckered into them every time even though I think they're ridiculous).
When we were in Amsterdam, we ran into tons and tons of stag and hen parties. I saw a bunch of guys sitting around Dam Square wearing gnome hats and drinking beer. I love gnomes so I thought it was interesting, but I wasn't sure exactly what the hats had to do with anything.
 |
| Okay, later picture when they put on their beards, too. You get the drift. |
 |
| Poor Snow White seemed to be struggling. |
 |
| The apples were a nice touch. |
Monday, July 7, 2014
Back from Amsterdam
For the 4th of July, some friends and I took a trip to Amsterdam for the weekend and rented a house in the suburbs. My brain turned into German mode (yay!) since all four of us speak German in some capacity (I'm the weakest link) in our international group of two Americans, a German, and a Dutch guy. I think we confused some other train passengers as we talked in a mix of German and English but it was a great way to work on my language skills. If I did this all the time, I'd be significantly more fluent. It's just funny that a trip to the Netherlands yields more German speaking.
Anyway, more posts about the trip will follow of course, when I have time. Until then, here's a short story of something that happened to me on the Amsterdam tram: I was in a tram seat and there was a handle on the wall between my seat and the passenger seat facing mine. There were also straps to hold above. As some other passengers were boarding the tram, a gentleman faced me, grabbed the handle on the wall and held the back of my seat, basically "straddling" me! He wasn't touching me, but it was extremely awkward, for sure. I thought that maybe he was doing it just as people were boarding to give them room but as the tram started, he was still there and I couldn't take it any more. I said, "excuse me, but could you please give me some room?" and he complied, standing closer to his family and holding a strap from the ceiling. I don't think it ever occurred to him that doing such a thing would make someone uncomfortable!
Anyway, more posts about the trip will follow of course, when I have time. Until then, here's a short story of something that happened to me on the Amsterdam tram: I was in a tram seat and there was a handle on the wall between my seat and the passenger seat facing mine. There were also straps to hold above. As some other passengers were boarding the tram, a gentleman faced me, grabbed the handle on the wall and held the back of my seat, basically "straddling" me! He wasn't touching me, but it was extremely awkward, for sure. I thought that maybe he was doing it just as people were boarding to give them room but as the tram started, he was still there and I couldn't take it any more. I said, "excuse me, but could you please give me some room?" and he complied, standing closer to his family and holding a strap from the ceiling. I don't think it ever occurred to him that doing such a thing would make someone uncomfortable!
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Frohe Ostern!
Happy Eater, or Frohe Ostern to those who celebrate or even to those who just enjoy some good Eater candy.
I saw these guys in downtown Kaiserslautern on Saturday. They were handing out boiled eggs and pens in support of a political party. Something makes me think that they're not official Easter Bunny representatives because I don't think that mythical creatures can vote.
I saw these guys in downtown Kaiserslautern on Saturday. They were handing out boiled eggs and pens in support of a political party. Something makes me think that they're not official Easter Bunny representatives because I don't think that mythical creatures can vote.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Manneken Pis is not welcome in Kaiserslautern
...at least this sign in downtown Kaiserslautern would make it appear so, with the little guy crossed out:
The sign actually says "Cultural heritage: no open pissoir!"
In other words, "people, quit using the alley as a bathroom!" Phew. For a minute there I thought that Kaiserslautern didn't like Manneken Pis.
The sign actually says "Cultural heritage: no open pissoir!"
In other words, "people, quit using the alley as a bathroom!" Phew. For a minute there I thought that Kaiserslautern didn't like Manneken Pis.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Lickin' lions, oh my!
Some people believe that Himalayan salt crystals possess healing properties. There are even lamps made of Himalayan salt. I have told my friends that if they ever bought such lamps, that they should hide them when I come to visit. I would have an overwhelming urge to lick the lamp. We were giggling, imagining the owner of a lamp being flummoxed why the lamp was growing smaller and me leaving, licking my lips.
I ate dinner at Pizzeria Napoli (I need to write a review...sometime, I guess) and was very excited that the candle holder was made out of Himalayan salt. Everyone was goading me on to lick it, via Facebook (I was catching a quick bite alone, before meeting with friends). Of course I didn't lick it, even though the lion on the chair in the upper left hand corner appears to be licking the letter "B" on the chair.
I ate dinner at Pizzeria Napoli (I need to write a review...sometime, I guess) and was very excited that the candle holder was made out of Himalayan salt. Everyone was goading me on to lick it, via Facebook (I was catching a quick bite alone, before meeting with friends). Of course I didn't lick it, even though the lion on the chair in the upper left hand corner appears to be licking the letter "B" on the chair.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
December's Adventure: Day 7, Part 2: Brussels
If I had to sum up the apparent theme of Brussels, I would use this word: peeing. No, it's not that I've seen people relieving themselves in inappropriate places. Instead, it is the Belgian city's odd fascination with sculptures of mammals relieving themselves that has made an impression on me.
The oldest, of course, is Manneken Pis, the statue of the small peeing boy put in place in the early 17th century. In 1987, Manneken got a little sister named Jeanneke-Pis, who also is relieving herself at Impasse de la Fidélité 10 (across from Delirium Cafe, for those who want to drink some beers and get the feeling she's having). She was dressed up for Christmas in a festive outfit as she squatted.
To complete the happy little family of children relieving themselves, in 1998 the city added their pet dog, Zinneke Pis, at Rue de Chartreux 31H.
In addition to the awkward sculptures, we saw the city's interesting emblem on trash cans: St. Michael is trampling the devil.
We then saw the city's Official Santa Transport mammal. Okay, maybe it's not official, but it's a restaurant's take on holiday decoration. I think it was some sort of...topiary (?) wrapped up with fabric and then Santa was given a leg up to ride the odd beast. There were Christmas lights, so it was very...festive.
The oldest, of course, is Manneken Pis, the statue of the small peeing boy put in place in the early 17th century. In 1987, Manneken got a little sister named Jeanneke-Pis, who also is relieving herself at Impasse de la Fidélité 10 (across from Delirium Cafe, for those who want to drink some beers and get the feeling she's having). She was dressed up for Christmas in a festive outfit as she squatted.
To complete the happy little family of children relieving themselves, in 1998 the city added their pet dog, Zinneke Pis, at Rue de Chartreux 31H.
In addition to the awkward sculptures, we saw the city's interesting emblem on trash cans: St. Michael is trampling the devil.
We then saw the city's Official Santa Transport mammal. Okay, maybe it's not official, but it's a restaurant's take on holiday decoration. I think it was some sort of...topiary (?) wrapped up with fabric and then Santa was given a leg up to ride the odd beast. There were Christmas lights, so it was very...festive.
Things that make me say "hmm..."
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Germany, just don't do this
In the Deutsche Bahn magazine, I saw an ad for German sandals.
There was a special where the customer would get a free pair of socks with the sandals, and it was illustrated by a person's foot, wearing socks WITH the sandals.
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD, Germans*, please please please, DO NOT WEAR SOCKS WITH SANDALS!
It looks super dorky and is ridiculous. Here is my guide to wearing sandals: if it's hot out, wear them. If it's cold enough that one must also wear socks, it means that one needs to wear shoes. And, oh my goodness, if you wear KNEE SOCKS with sandals, I swear that I will faint in agony.
*Germans are not the only ones guilty of doing this. Engineers in America have an alarming propensity toward this.
There was a special where the customer would get a free pair of socks with the sandals, and it was illustrated by a person's foot, wearing socks WITH the sandals.
 |
| JUST SAY NO to socks with sandals! |
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD, Germans*, please please please, DO NOT WEAR SOCKS WITH SANDALS!
It looks super dorky and is ridiculous. Here is my guide to wearing sandals: if it's hot out, wear them. If it's cold enough that one must also wear socks, it means that one needs to wear shoes. And, oh my goodness, if you wear KNEE SOCKS with sandals, I swear that I will faint in agony.
*Germans are not the only ones guilty of doing this. Engineers in America have an alarming propensity toward this.
Monday, December 9, 2013
There are mythical Pfälzisch creatures about!
When I was walking around downtown Kaiserslautern, I saw a lady leading an elwetritsch around!
What is an elwetritsch, you ask? Well, it's a mythical bird known to the Pfälzisch region of Germany. It's like the Pfälzisch version of a snipe, I would assume. It's so famous that Neustadt has a fountain with quite a few of them in it (and I have pictures and more to say about that, but that's a whole other blog entry).
The interesting thing about the elwetritsch I saw was that its human leading it around was soliciting signatures for something. I was super curious about the whole situation but I still felt like an interloper because my German isn't good enough yet to ask about it. So, I just watched from a distance and took some pictures of the mysterious beast.
What is an elwetritsch, you ask? Well, it's a mythical bird known to the Pfälzisch region of Germany. It's like the Pfälzisch version of a snipe, I would assume. It's so famous that Neustadt has a fountain with quite a few of them in it (and I have pictures and more to say about that, but that's a whole other blog entry).
The interesting thing about the elwetritsch I saw was that its human leading it around was soliciting signatures for something. I was super curious about the whole situation but I still felt like an interloper because my German isn't good enough yet to ask about it. So, I just watched from a distance and took some pictures of the mysterious beast.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
What is it with raccoons and trying to learn German?
I resumed my university German class this term as they finally offered it in person again. I liked the previous instructor as a person for the most part, but as an instructor...let's just say that I learned more about his unusual personal life than I did about speaking German.
My new instructor has taught us a lot...at warp speeds. I'm adjusting and am taking notes as quickly as I can. I really like that she incorporates different activities and I won't lie: I love the activity where we answer German questions by writing on whiteboards and holding them up to see who's the fastest. It feels like a game show or something (man, I need to get a life ;)
My new instructor has taught us a lot...at warp speeds. I'm adjusting and am taking notes as quickly as I can. I really like that she incorporates different activities and I won't lie: I love the activity where we answer German questions by writing on whiteboards and holding them up to see who's the fastest. It feels like a game show or something (man, I need to get a life ;)
Monday, October 28, 2013
Halloween Escapades
I was invited to a Halloween party hosted by some Americans this past weekend. The party was a fun mix of Germans, expats, students, professionals, etc. We dressed up in crazy costumes, brought creepy snacks (I made "mummy" hotdogs), and later paraded through town as a strange entourage with a Roman, zombies, vampires, a genie, a tiger, a ninja, a nerd, a murderous clown, and more.
I think that this was one of my favorite costumes. It was one of those small backpacks that organizations give away and the guy wearing it wrote the Pi sign on it. I laughed because it looked like a last-minute costume, for sure.
After we left the party and headed to the bar, we experienced the craziness that is Kaiserslautern on weekend nights. Usually I'm out of town so I don't head out to the bars. We passed by the American police from the Air Force. They help police the area because half of the problems (at least) come from the Americans who live here. Fair enough, eh? They didn't need to intervene on this situation, but it was definitely a bunch of drunk service members acting stupid: some guys started doing pushups in the street.
At the bar, I was talked into a light saber battle. My opponent had a few to drink and was narrating the fight in German (he's not German though). Later we had a conversation and he recited his schedule in German. I teased him and told him that I just did all of this in German class. I'm not sure why we were having the conversation, but I'm sure it made sense to one of us.
Batman showed up and was interested in the light saber battle so we gave him a turn.
I then talked to his friend, Superman. I told Superman that his costume looked a bit like kids' pajamas.
Most of our group had enjoyed enough fun so we started home. A bunch of German guys we passed were offended that we were celebrating Halloween already. I think they had that idea confused with the German rule for celebrating birthdays. In Germany, it's considered bad luck to celebrate your birthday before the actual day. Since Halloween is an American holiday, I think we can celebrate it whenever we feel like it. The guys said it wasn't Halloween yet and our German friend told them that at the bar we visited it was. Everyone has an opinion here and isn't afraid to share it with strangers! Sometimes it's hard to get used to, but if someone is being obnoxious, you can just flap your hand at them and ignore them.
It was a fun night and a bit wild and silly.
I think that this was one of my favorite costumes. It was one of those small backpacks that organizations give away and the guy wearing it wrote the Pi sign on it. I laughed because it looked like a last-minute costume, for sure.
After we left the party and headed to the bar, we experienced the craziness that is Kaiserslautern on weekend nights. Usually I'm out of town so I don't head out to the bars. We passed by the American police from the Air Force. They help police the area because half of the problems (at least) come from the Americans who live here. Fair enough, eh? They didn't need to intervene on this situation, but it was definitely a bunch of drunk service members acting stupid: some guys started doing pushups in the street.
At the bar, I was talked into a light saber battle. My opponent had a few to drink and was narrating the fight in German (he's not German though). Later we had a conversation and he recited his schedule in German. I teased him and told him that I just did all of this in German class. I'm not sure why we were having the conversation, but I'm sure it made sense to one of us.
Batman showed up and was interested in the light saber battle so we gave him a turn.
 |
| Batman vs. "Rub Me for Luck; I'm Irish." |
Most of our group had enjoyed enough fun so we started home. A bunch of German guys we passed were offended that we were celebrating Halloween already. I think they had that idea confused with the German rule for celebrating birthdays. In Germany, it's considered bad luck to celebrate your birthday before the actual day. Since Halloween is an American holiday, I think we can celebrate it whenever we feel like it. The guys said it wasn't Halloween yet and our German friend told them that at the bar we visited it was. Everyone has an opinion here and isn't afraid to share it with strangers! Sometimes it's hard to get used to, but if someone is being obnoxious, you can just flap your hand at them and ignore them.
It was a fun night and a bit wild and silly.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Heidelberger Herbst: what a mix of experiences!
My friend invited to me to Heidelberg for the Heidelberger Herbst Altstadtfest this past weekend. It's funny, because I had in mind what the day would be like and it was totally different -- in a weird, fun way!
Heidelberger Herbst was a wonderful conglomeration of everything! It includes a flea market in the narrow streets of downtown; live music; stores with special opening hours; food and drink booths; and lots of random events. I went into it thinking it would be more of a traditional German fall festival.
I saw these guys hanging out early on so it confirmed my initial suspicions, but I ended up being wrong in the long run. I think this was a stag party. We walked down this road and I knew things weren't going to be traditional.
And they weren't! In the square, we listened to some great techno music...and watched a group of men deep in the throes of a stag party. How do I know this was a stag party where I wasn't sure if the lederhosen clad young men were part of a similar party? Well, I think it was the fact that the guy below was dressed up like a(n ugly) women, wearing some crazy stuff, and getting danced on by his friends. There was a hula hooper and a bubble blower, too!
See? Bubbles.
Our evening didn't get any less random. We saw a guy dressed like this:
I thought that if I got some frozen yogurt things would return to normal. This place had some delicious, somewhat tart froyo:
All was going well until I read the sign across the street:
It's one of those places where people can sell their gold. I get it: bring in your old gold, jewelry, coins, and...toothgold. TOOTHGOLD???? GOLD TEETH? What the HECK!? Even worse, the sign says "also with teeth." Egads! Who would have gold teeth laying around? My friend suggested that maybe if one were to get in a fight and his gold tooth got knocked out, he could bring it in. Wouldn't he want to keep it?
Even crazier: we saw a dude in a kilt, and it appeared that he had shaved his legs. I shave my legs when I wear a skirt, so I guess it's not that weird. Maybe everyone does?
I needed to move on; I needed to get over this alarm. We decided to visit the medieval fest; that couldn't get too weird, right?
We drank pomegranate and orange infused grappa and generally felt great about everything after that, including the medieval heavy metal music being played. That was an interesting mix.
The grappa made us decide that we really should have a cocktail, so we went to the vinegar and liqueur store (yes, they have those here; it's a bit random) and listened to watered down acoustic pop songs and drank cocktails (which were quite lovely, btw).
That led my friend to the wonderful conclusion that we needed gummi candies in naughty shapes but without nasty dyes so we bought some gummimänner and of course giggled like crazy about them. We were ready to call it a night but the ice cream shop had a DJ in the window so we danced with the group in front of it for a while (seriously, what ice cream shop in the US has a techno-playing dj? Yinz are missing out).
All good things must come to an end. We finished our dancing and trotted home.
So, is Heidelberger Herbst your traditional German fall festival? Not on your life, but wear your lederhosen and dirndls if you'd like because believe me, you won't be the weirdest ones there. I think the festival is whatever you want to make of it and YMMV: your mileage might vary. I know that I loved the mileage I put on, cavorting through town.
Heidelberger Herbst was a wonderful conglomeration of everything! It includes a flea market in the narrow streets of downtown; live music; stores with special opening hours; food and drink booths; and lots of random events. I went into it thinking it would be more of a traditional German fall festival.
And they weren't! In the square, we listened to some great techno music...and watched a group of men deep in the throes of a stag party. How do I know this was a stag party where I wasn't sure if the lederhosen clad young men were part of a similar party? Well, I think it was the fact that the guy below was dressed up like a(n ugly) women, wearing some crazy stuff, and getting danced on by his friends. There was a hula hooper and a bubble blower, too!
See? Bubbles.
Our evening didn't get any less random. We saw a guy dressed like this:
I thought that if I got some frozen yogurt things would return to normal. This place had some delicious, somewhat tart froyo:
It's one of those places where people can sell their gold. I get it: bring in your old gold, jewelry, coins, and...toothgold. TOOTHGOLD???? GOLD TEETH? What the HECK!? Even worse, the sign says "also with teeth." Egads! Who would have gold teeth laying around? My friend suggested that maybe if one were to get in a fight and his gold tooth got knocked out, he could bring it in. Wouldn't he want to keep it?
Even crazier: we saw a dude in a kilt, and it appeared that he had shaved his legs. I shave my legs when I wear a skirt, so I guess it's not that weird. Maybe everyone does?
I needed to move on; I needed to get over this alarm. We decided to visit the medieval fest; that couldn't get too weird, right?
We drank pomegranate and orange infused grappa and generally felt great about everything after that, including the medieval heavy metal music being played. That was an interesting mix.
The grappa made us decide that we really should have a cocktail, so we went to the vinegar and liqueur store (yes, they have those here; it's a bit random) and listened to watered down acoustic pop songs and drank cocktails (which were quite lovely, btw).
That led my friend to the wonderful conclusion that we needed gummi candies in naughty shapes but without nasty dyes so we bought some gummimänner and of course giggled like crazy about them. We were ready to call it a night but the ice cream shop had a DJ in the window so we danced with the group in front of it for a while (seriously, what ice cream shop in the US has a techno-playing dj? Yinz are missing out).
All good things must come to an end. We finished our dancing and trotted home.
So, is Heidelberger Herbst your traditional German fall festival? Not on your life, but wear your lederhosen and dirndls if you'd like because believe me, you won't be the weirdest ones there. I think the festival is whatever you want to make of it and YMMV: your mileage might vary. I know that I loved the mileage I put on, cavorting through town.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Domesticity fail and acting like a weird American, rolled into one
I
just couldn't help myself: I was making cupcakes for a party. I
had already put on my awesome Dia De Los Muertos cooking apron when I
realized that I had left the cupcake mix in the car. I didn't want to
take the apron off, so I went outside to get the mix and kept the apron on. Since everyone is nosy around here, I'm quite sure that I had an audience. If anyone asks,
I'll say I did it because I'm American, not weird. Around here, that
pretty much means the same thing anyway. I just wish that I had on high
heels and pearls to go with the apron and the t-shirt and shorts. It
would be a typical "ATW is Trying to Be Domestic" outfit.
The back story is as such: I'm not a very domestic person, nor am I a girly girl. However, I feel that it's important to have a wide range of skills and knowledge, so I try my hand at cookery from time to time. Such aspirations have yielded varied results.
My coworkers erupted in laughter one time when I told them that because I am not domestic, I decided to make up for that by wearing a (faux) pearl necklace and high heels with my shorts and t-shirt when I was baking cookies. I wanted to see how the housewives of the 1950s felt when they were cooking, minus the dress, conical bra and corset, of course.
The results? It was amusing for the time that I made the cookies. However, I wouldn't want to make a habit of it. Plus, I'm not fond of wearing any shoes in the house and I'm clumsy, so traipsing around in high heels and being overly domestic just isn't going to happen, never mind my clumsiness and the inherent danger of wearing anything other than flat soles.
The back story is as such: I'm not a very domestic person, nor am I a girly girl. However, I feel that it's important to have a wide range of skills and knowledge, so I try my hand at cookery from time to time. Such aspirations have yielded varied results.
My coworkers erupted in laughter one time when I told them that because I am not domestic, I decided to make up for that by wearing a (faux) pearl necklace and high heels with my shorts and t-shirt when I was baking cookies. I wanted to see how the housewives of the 1950s felt when they were cooking, minus the dress, conical bra and corset, of course.
The results? It was amusing for the time that I made the cookies. However, I wouldn't want to make a habit of it. Plus, I'm not fond of wearing any shoes in the house and I'm clumsy, so traipsing around in high heels and being overly domestic just isn't going to happen, never mind my clumsiness and the inherent danger of wearing anything other than flat soles.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Seen in Stuttgart: the Porsche tractor
Uh, I know that people in Germany drive Porsches; they have passed me at high rates of speed on the Autobahn.
However, someone who drove this Porsche parked near Marienplatz absolutely takes the cake.
It was a very educational visit to Stuttgart because I learned that Porsche made tractors; it's located in Stuttgart; and there are people who drive their tractors downtown! Note that the tractor even has a license plate. Crazy stuff. I guess I shouldn't be surprised; people drive ATVs around as if they're motorcycles.
However, someone who drove this Porsche parked near Marienplatz absolutely takes the cake.
It was a very educational visit to Stuttgart because I learned that Porsche made tractors; it's located in Stuttgart; and there are people who drive their tractors downtown! Note that the tractor even has a license plate. Crazy stuff. I guess I shouldn't be surprised; people drive ATVs around as if they're motorcycles.
Monday, July 8, 2013
German bachelor and bachelorette parties
When walking around a bigger city on the weekend, it's not uncommon to see German bachelor and bachelorette parties descending upon the city. They are quite a sight to behold! I've seen women dressed in matching white shirts with pink ties; women in matching coats; men in matching shirts that reference the upcoming loss of freedom; and other silly get-ups.The night is all about teasing the bride and groom to be, but separately, of course. When I was in Heidelberg, I came across a bachelorette/hen party, or, in German, a Junggesellinnenabschied (JGA). I was trying not to giggle like crazy because the bride to be was dressed up in a silly costume. She had to sell items to those passing by. I was told that the money she made from that was used to buy drinks later in the night.
The future groom isn't spared from embarrassment, either, during his Junggesellenabschied (JGA). When I was in Stuttgart, I saw a group of men encouraging bystanders to pay to kick a soccer ball through the groom's costume in order to win a prize. Unfortunately, sometimes the kicker missed, to the groom's discomfort. I've also seen a grown man dressed in a bunny suit, handing out carrots. It's quite funny to see such things!
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Dining in the Ikea showroom: is this a test?
After I finally found my apartment, I started making the almost requisite trips to Ikea to finish kitting out my apartment. During one trip to the Ikea in Saarlouis, my travel partner B and I came across a strange sight: in the middle of the display of kitchen tables, there was a buffet set up with a sign encouraging people to eat dinner! I'm not talking about this being near the cafe, where people often dine in Ikea; this was actually in the showroom.
A couple was sitting at the table, dining on some pasta. When we passed by again later, the table was empty and we were tempted to try some of the pasta because the sign there suggested it. However, it seemed just too weird to us so we chickened out. I was wondering if it were some sort of experiment or if there was a hidden camera. B. wondered so too.
Of course, it could have just been a customer appreciation thing, but I'm too mistrustful to believe that. If you've seen this or know more about it, be sure to comment!
A couple was sitting at the table, dining on some pasta. When we passed by again later, the table was empty and we were tempted to try some of the pasta because the sign there suggested it. However, it seemed just too weird to us so we chickened out. I was wondering if it were some sort of experiment or if there was a hidden camera. B. wondered so too.
Of course, it could have just been a customer appreciation thing, but I'm too mistrustful to believe that. If you've seen this or know more about it, be sure to comment!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Wanted and unwanted time to practice German
I was invited to a party in Heidelberg this weekend, and while it was a very international party, of course there was a lot of German being spoken. I sat with some people and listened to their conversations (I couldn't contribute much) and sometimes got the gist of the story (woot woot!). Man, if I did this every day, my German would REALLY come along great! Listening to the radio or CDs just isn't the same.
Some people were speaking Spanish, too, and I understood the gist of that, as well, but every time I wanted to say something and formulated a sentence in my head, "yo" because "ich" and things started sounding German so I just kept my mouth shut. I think at this point I just need to operate in two languages.
The party was fun and reasonably big. I was surprised that the neighbors didn't complain; the music was loud past quiet hours, but I guess it depends on your neighbors for that one. We had a great view of the castle. It was the first party I've attended with a view of a castle ;)
I had another chance to speak German, on the train home, but I didn't really appreciate this chance. An elderly man sat across from me and asked if the train was stopping at a certain city. I told him yes then he started saying something else I didn't catch. I must've looked confused because he asked someone else about where the train was stopping. He then asked me again! I confirmed it and he asked another woman, who did, too. At that point, I thought, what the heck! I wonder if this guy has dementia or something and forgot that he had already asked about the stop.
He later took out a brush and a mirror and combed his hair and grinned and said something about him looking nice. If the train weren't so crowded and I weren't so sleepy, I would have moved. He seemed harmless enough, but dude, leave me alone.
Some people were speaking Spanish, too, and I understood the gist of that, as well, but every time I wanted to say something and formulated a sentence in my head, "yo" because "ich" and things started sounding German so I just kept my mouth shut. I think at this point I just need to operate in two languages.
The party was fun and reasonably big. I was surprised that the neighbors didn't complain; the music was loud past quiet hours, but I guess it depends on your neighbors for that one. We had a great view of the castle. It was the first party I've attended with a view of a castle ;)
I had another chance to speak German, on the train home, but I didn't really appreciate this chance. An elderly man sat across from me and asked if the train was stopping at a certain city. I told him yes then he started saying something else I didn't catch. I must've looked confused because he asked someone else about where the train was stopping. He then asked me again! I confirmed it and he asked another woman, who did, too. At that point, I thought, what the heck! I wonder if this guy has dementia or something and forgot that he had already asked about the stop.
He later took out a brush and a mirror and combed his hair and grinned and said something about him looking nice. If the train weren't so crowded and I weren't so sleepy, I would have moved. He seemed harmless enough, but dude, leave me alone.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
And this is why I don't like to be around on game day
One Sunday, I decided to take a stroll because the stormy, angry skies and their potential torrential downpours looked very appealing. Well, I actually needed a change of pace so I decided to take a walk.
I noticed some people wearing FCK, the local soccer (football) team), gear, which was a signal that it must have been a game day. In other words, I wanted to be nowhere near the train station (which is near the stadium).
I turned on my heel and headed home but heard some loud singing. Great, I thought. I really don't like to be around soccer fans, especially ones who sound like they've been drinking.
Bunch of rowdy men + unbridled enthusiasm for their sport + liquor = unbridled stupidity at best and possible physical harm at worst
(for the record, I feel that it's like this everywhere, not just in KL)
They started bellowing a song in English (which had nothing to do with me; they weren't close enough to even see me).
Well, the words were technically English.
It was something about "if you can hear us..."
I took off before I could hear the rest because I really wasn't interested in what stupidity they had on tap!
I noticed some people wearing FCK, the local soccer (football) team), gear, which was a signal that it must have been a game day. In other words, I wanted to be nowhere near the train station (which is near the stadium).
I turned on my heel and headed home but heard some loud singing. Great, I thought. I really don't like to be around soccer fans, especially ones who sound like they've been drinking.
Bunch of rowdy men + unbridled enthusiasm for their sport + liquor = unbridled stupidity at best and possible physical harm at worst
(for the record, I feel that it's like this everywhere, not just in KL)
They started bellowing a song in English (which had nothing to do with me; they weren't close enough to even see me).
Well, the words were technically English.
It was something about "if you can hear us..."
I took off before I could hear the rest because I really wasn't interested in what stupidity they had on tap!
Friday, May 24, 2013
This is NOT the kind of German staring I had in mind
I was sitting in the living room, working on the computer. As I stood up, I glanced outside and into Cactguy's house. Egads, he was in there, wearing nothing but a bikini and eating a banana. Scary scary! I wasn't even trying to do any staring.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)